Marshall Craft

Baltimore office

Originally constructed in the 1890s, the historic Assembly Building was an important component of Poole & Hunt Machine Works, which was once the largest fabricator of iron and steel machinery and building components in the United States. In 2016, Marshall Craft signed a long-term lease agreement on the main commercial space in the Assembly Building.

All workspaces, including those of the principals, are in an open studio designed to foster communication, creative collaboration, and learning. There are many flex working areas, collaboration spaces, and breakout spaces for meetings, conversations, or reflections. The kitchenette area, featuring a giant salvaged steel bridge beam used for a serving counter, becomes a great place to meet colleagues and catch up. The main conference room features a custom table of thick, live-edged Pennsylvania Black Walnut slabs on a steel structure fabricated by Wayne Stump Studios of Portsmouth, Ohio.

Furnishings include a mix of modern office furniture and antique industrial elements. Notable pieces include a large woodworking vise bench from the 1850s in the main lobby and a long workbench table in the studio composed of a maple top from the woodshop of Baltimore’s original Frederick Douglas High School, with wood trestle legs salvaged from the old Sparrows Point shipyard, both circa 1914. There is a gallery of old photographs on display illustrating the original days of the Poole & Hunt works, showing the Assembly Building with its original 85-foot-tall interior space.

The lobby area features an art gallery where local artists are invited to display their work and hold receptions to promote Baltimore’s creative industry. The office is a great space to socialize after hours, and we have hosted annual Mingle at The Mill events, Open Doors Baltimore, college student visits, and other professional events in this space.